1. Field of the Invention.
This invention is related to the field of security devices in general and to security devices for louvered windows in particular.
2. Prior Art.
Louvered windows or doors enjoy wide spread acceptance in the building industry. However, they have an inherent design characteristic which tends to make them unacceptable when security factors are considered. They are extremely difficult to secure against an unwanted entry. i.e., there are no practical ways to lock louvered windows or doors.
This defect or design weakness can be understood by refering to FIG. 2 which shows a closed louvered window comprised of louver window hardware 10 and louver window glasses or slats 12 held in place by louver lite brackets 13.
The glass slats are subject to removal, without fracture, by the exertion of an upward force on the bottom edge of a slat which causes the light weight (usually aluminum) upper clip 14 of the louver lite bracket 13 to yield. Once key slats have been removed, the louver window operator 15 may be used to open the window (FIG. 2) thereby facilitating the subsequent removal of all remaining slats without any significant difficulty.
There have been several attempts to solve the problem described above by either gluing the glass slats in the louver lite brackets or fabricating louver light brackets which completely encircle the ends of the glass slats. The techniques proved to be both ineffective and costly.
It is possible to devise a lock to preclude the operation of the louver window operator 15. However this technique would not preclude the sequential removal of as many glass slats as is required to facilitate an entry.